Sunday, November 26, 2006

Will the man ever beat a highly ranked team? Not only did the Irish lose to the two top teams they played this year, they got smoked. Furthermore, after this 44-24 shellacking by SC, ND does not deserve a BCS bid. Unfortunately, they'll probably get one.

Oh, and hopefully Bob Davie has removed his tongue from Brady Quinn's rectum by now. Ok, ok, we get it -- you think he's a good QB. But come on! Call me crazy, I'd like to see him actually win a big game. Stats don't mean shit.

P.S. How much did Notre Dame pay Charlie and for how many years? More importantly, how much is his buyout amount and what's the over/under and when it will be used?

And while Charlie is no football genius...

PETE CARROLL IS

Not that there was any doubt, but with USC on the cusp of yet another national championship, it just becomes more clear. The Trojans lost a tremendous amount of talent yet here they are, one win away from the BCS title game...again.

BOB STOOPS AIN'T BAD EITHER

Oklahoma lost it's top QB right before the season started, they got jobbed in Eugene, Oregon by the refs and then they lost the best RB in the country not long after that. Still, with their 27-21 victory over Okie State, the Sooners find themselves at 10-2 and in the Big 12 title game next weekend. Well done, coach.

NOW CAN WE PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT WVU AS BEING GOOD?!

After losing to South Florida, 24-19, instead of still being judged by where they ended up last year, West Virginia finally returns to where they belong this year: sucking. The Mountaineers are now 9-2, with their only "big" win being against Maryland.

Only good news? WVU gets the MZone 2006 K-State Award, our new "honor" handed out to the team which starts out waaaay over-ranked to begin with, keeps that ridiculously high ranking fooling pollsters by fattening up on cream puffs most of the season...then loses to the only team on their schedule with a pulse...and usually one or two more after being exposed as a fraud.

Then again, maybe this is just the "toughness" of the Big East with all the teams beating up on one another. To quote Borat's "comedy coach"....Not!

LARRY COKER FIRED

I'd like to think Coker was fired for the 'Canes' off-the-field problems rather than this year's 6-6 mark, seeing as the guy won almost 80% of his games and a national title. But, who are we kidding, right?

One question though -- How the fuck did Chuck Amato last longer than Larry Coker?! Sweet Jesus!

PROPS TO WAKE FOREST

With their 38-24 victory over Maryland, Wake Forest - which was picked by some pre-season pundits to finish dead last in their division - is 10-2 and headed to the ACC title game to face...some other crappy team from the ACC.

P.S. Is Chuck Amato still coaching in that league?

BOISTE STATE FINISHES SEASON 12-0

With its stirring 38-7 over Nevada, BSU likely clinched a BCS bid thus insuring that some unfortunate team is in a no-win situation when they play Broncos: win and it's no big deal because they're supposed to crush Boise State; lose and they're laughing stocks, as in, "How the fuck did you lose to Boise State?!"

THIS JUST IN: HELL FREEZES OVER

Do we really live in a college football world where FSU and Miami have 12 --TWELVE?! -- losses between them in a single season?! Wow.

LSU IS THE BEST TWO-LOSS TEAM BY FAR

Now this is the team I'd really like to see Michigan play in the Rose Bowl. I don't know if we've ever played them and their coach, Les Miles, played for Bo.

AGGIES LAST DRIVE DESERVES PRAISE

Trailing 7-6 in Austin, Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee led the scored the winning TD with just over two minutes left in a 12-7 victory over Texas. His eight yard run capped an 88 yard, 16 play drive that ate up just under nine minutes of clock time. Truly impressive.

The win "improved" Aggie coach Dennis Franchione's record against Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma to 2-10.

Also, very glad to hear Longhorn QB Colt McCoy seems to be ok after being carted off the field with seconds to play. UT isn't the same without him. Hopefully he'll be 100% very soon.

Leave us your thoughts on the above or anything else about the weekend's games in the comments section.

69 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I agree ND doesnt deserve a BCS bid, but its hard to find other deserving members. Either a second Big East or 3rd SEC Team. I'd take Wisconsin before them, but the badgers have already accepted a capital one bowl bid. I support a UM/LSU Rose Bowl.

The Southern Cal game was way better without listening to the giant SC tonguebath from Herbie, et al. They're a great team, but doesn't the hype machine ever just shut the fuck up? Every telecast has been just blatant, relentless hype for some future matchup. Am I so old that expecting the announcers to talk about the actual game at hand WHILE IT'S STILL GOING ON is misguided? I don't care who the BCS gods match up with whom. I would just like to have Southern Cal actually beat Ucla before we anoint them as OSU's latest victim.

1) Pete Carroll has talent as good as any team in the country, but he must nonetheless be a great coach to have them in position to play for their fourth championship in four years -- and with three different QBs.

2) Although Carroll is great, I would vote Stoops as coach of the year (and I'm a Texas fan). BTW, did you see the espn.com article in which the review official in the OU-Oregon game said he knew at the time that OU recovered the kick? Unbelievable.

3) LSU is the best two-loss team. They would be competitive with any opponent -- and seemingly favored by Vegas, given the odds-makers liked them over Tennessee and Arkansas on the road.

4) Clone ND, change their name and jerseys, and they would not be in the Top Fifteen. They are to football what Armani is to clothing: a brand that deludes people into finding higher quality where in fact none exists.

5) Credit A&M with a good game plan and an impressive drive to win on the road as the clock was winding down . . . and ask what happened to UT to cause meltdowns in the last two games: losing shoot-outs and defensive struggles in consecutive games. UT did not play up to its talent level. At least we will have among the better QBs and RBs for 2007 (assuming McCoy fully recovers: if not, it may be a long season).

1. The K-State award is perfect. It totally summarizes what I've been saying about K-State way back in the 90's when they were still relavent. WVU is a fitting recipient this year, even though I never would have guessed after their finish last year.

2. Weis is an idiot. I was never sold on him as an offensive genius, but tonight he seemed hell bent on giving the game away on both sides of the ball. I'll give USC credit for a good game, but Weis's gameplan was a joke.

3. Am I crazy, or do the Big 3 of the Big 10 deserve to be in the top 5? I think Wisconsin is going to regret accepting Capital One's bid so quickly. Their fans travel well and you know the BCS bowls like that. Rutgers on the other hand had to bribe their fans to go to their bowl game last year.

Yost/FMA: You guys are right, of course, that it's annoying to listen to all the hype for possible future matchups while the games that would affect them are still being played, but it seems like that's been the case ever since the advent of the BCS. If we had a playoff, we'd probably be listening to speculation about seeding and so forth during every November game featuring a top-fifteen team. I think that's PART of the reason lots of us OSU fans have been so cranky about the rematch talk; it's like we didn't get even a second to savor the win before people started pimping the notion that we should be asked to do it again, only FOR REAL this time.

Good catch on the BCS only allowing two teams per conference; I didn't know about that (bullshit) rule. Just another reason in favor of a playoff - use the BCS system or an RPI-type of system utilized by a selection committee to pick 16 teams. Play the first round at the higher seeded team's field, play the quarters at the original four BCS bowls, and so on. Suppose that were the system in place now - OSU and UM would likely be seeded 1 and 2 and wouldn't possibly meet until the final game, and THAT rematch wouldn't be such a travesty because three games would have been played in between, and every other "legitimate" contender would have been eliminated on the field. That's something I could get behind.

Regarding Charlie Weis, Yost, I think he was probably going for it all when it was still "close" because (1.) He's not all that when it comes to playcalling, or (2.) He knew his defense couldn't stop USC and was trying to put up a lot of points as fast as possible...me, I think it's a little of both. I know I laughed out loud when Walker fumbled on USC's doorstep, almost as hard as I did on all of Brady's turnovers against you guys.

The reason I put "legitimate" in quotes applies to this year: Of course, UM partisans have an argument to make for being given another shot in Glendale - but USC (if they beat UCLA) and Florida (if they beat Arkansas) also have arguments. Where you stand on those arguments largely depends on where you sit, which is another way of saying the possible answers to the #2 question are entirely subjective. We have no way of knowing, really, but it doesn't seem outrageous to say that the team picked to face OSU from that pool of contenders probably should be one that OSU hasn't already faced and beaten.

This is all just plain ridiculous now. I say we just left FLORIDA lose to OHIO in the championship game and throw USC and MICHIGAN in the Rose Bowl in what we will call the "Who Should Have Played and Lost to OHIO in the Championship Game....... presented by Juicy Fruit."

We got it all with this, OHIO as national champs and a Big 10 vs Pac 10 traditional Rose Bowl game.

If I am forced to watch a Michigan/Notre Dame Rose Bowl I am going to be sick. I was so sick of hearing that Notre Dame deserves to go to the Rose Bowl. Are you kidding me? Notre Dame belongs in the Motor City Bowl where they could at least have a chance of beating a MAC team. Musburger, Herbstreit, and Davie all were against Michigan playing Ohio State again, but it is okay for Michigan to have to play Notre Dame again. I guess a 26 point blow-out at Notre Dame is a close game nowadays. Screw Notre Dame.

Yost,this a.m.'s Dispatch, letters to the editor in the sports section, is filled w/ childish, venomous letters about Hart's comments & the impropriety of a rematch.

the Hart bashing all points back to how classy Tre$$el & HIS players are; how classless Carr & his are. and that's why people (beyond michigan fans) hate switzer in a sweater vest- he has dozens of players arrested, mo clarett, & their fans go around bragging what a "class act" the guy is. he wins, but any other accolades are just fiction.

as for the rematch, it's particularly funny given tosu fans pining for one in '03. before KSU upset the apple cart, USC was slotted to play OU in the Sugar, leaving half the Rose open. the week after drubbing tosu, columbus was awash in rumors wanting a rematch. odd how things change.

finally, fans should just used to rematches. every level of football-college I-aa thru III, high school, and the pros, feature them in the playoffs somewhat routinely. the bears - pats game is being hyped as a possible super bowl preview. it happens. to the extent the BCS purports to create a 1-2 matchup, you may get them.

if I-A had a playoff, tosu would be #1 seed, michigan #2 or #3. either way, we'd be in separate brackets w/ a strong possibility of a rematch in the finals.

Great column today, as usual. It is going to be ridiculous when ND makes another BCS, but let's just consider that a donation by the rest of us to keep Fat Charlie around for awhile and ensure Big 10 dominance over him. And can someone please put a stop to the Brady Quinn is a #1 pick crap? Am I the only one who has noticed how bad his accuracy is and how long he takes to complete his reads? At least 3-4 of the QBs in the Big Ten would have completed more passes last night!

I read the comments above about Wisconsin, but I'm still curious about something. If Florida loses to Arkansas in the SECCG, that means that the 4 teams above Wisconsin lost. And that vaults them to #4. And if you're #4, in the BCS you're guaranteed a spot. So does the 3-teams-per-conference or the #4 automatic BCS rule come into play here? Either way, I don't necessarily think Wisconsin deserves a BCS bid, but I'm just saying...

Hey, lay off Charlie Weis's game day apparel. He did not look any worse than Bill Belichick usually does. Belichick usually wears a sweatshirt at every New England game and nobody criticizes him. Would you rather Charlie Weis wear a skintight outfit so you could see all of his rolls? I know that is a sight I would not want to see.

Just be grateful that the rest of the country thinks that the 20 point beat-down of Notre Dame is better than the 26 point beat-down of Notre Dame by Michigan. Hopefully Ohio State kicks USC back to reality that way the rest of the country will know who the two top teams in college football were. If Brady Quinn can run for over 70 yards against the vaunted Trojan defense, wait until Troy Smith is let loose on them. USC will be having flashbacks to Vince Young. Prediction if USC and Ohio State square off for the National Championship:

Ohio State 45USC 31

Oh by the way, Pete Carroll is a great coach. There is no doubt about that because he has proven that for the last several years, but there are other coaches that deserve the award more than him. I can think of Wisconsin’s coach Bret Bielema as a prime candidate, but there are plenty of other possibilities.

Yost & Bennie: It is great to have you back on the net. I was going thru withdrawls.

My thoughts:1) Is it me, or was that the same ABC crew that was pounding the drum for a M/OSU rematch last week ? Herbie reminds me of a teenager that knows he is in trouble for doing something stupid. The story you get is tailored to the person he thinks he is talking to.2) It does not matter how long Fat Charlie's contract is for or what the buy-out is. He is a genius and don't forget it... just ask Navy, Army, and Air Force.3) Can we please suspend all discussion about a "rematch". As a Michigan fan I don't feel real confident putting our fate in the hands of UCLA. USC is going to the BCS game.4) I am torn regarding a ND/M Rose Bowl. On one hand it would be great to beat them down twice in one season (and 3 times in a 365 day period makes me giddy). On the other hand, I sure would love to see a Michigan/LSU matchup.

3) Pete Carroll is good, but USC will be the worst team to to go to a BCS Championship game. They had close games (6 or 7 point wins) with Washington State, Washington, and Arizona State before losing to Oregon State. How on Earth does that get them the #2 spot.

4) If there was no BCS, it would be Ohio State vs. USC in the Rose Bowl...so while I think the #2 ranking is ridiculous, the matchup feels right. (It's just that voters should have the option to vote Michigan #1 if somehow they rocked in their bowl and OSU somehow lost in theirs...which won't happen anyway.)

Did anyone else find it ridiculous when Nebraska scored a Touchdown against Colorado with 30 seconds left in the game? The score was 30-14 with under a minute remaining and all Nebraska had to do was kneel down and the game was over. Instead, in a total dickhead move, Bill Callahan and Nebraska decided to score a touchdown. The score ended up being 37-14. Why do some teams feel the need to totally embarrass a rival? Hopefully Colorado will be able to repay the favor someday soon.

I couldn't believe the announcers last night talking about a possible UM-ND rematch in the Rose Bowl (and bob Davie calling it a "great matchup"!). What on Earth has ND done to warrant even being discussed as an opponent for Michigan in that game, aside from beating the crap out of our armed forces? What a frickin' joke. LSU has wins over Arkansas and Tennessee. ND has wins over, who, exactly? If I have to see the sweatpants-clad Cheeseburger Charlie across the sidelines from Lloyd on Jan 1, I'll probably have to poke my eyes out.

If Arkansas beats Florida in the SECCG, does anyone think Florida would get the SEC's second BCS bid over LSU? They'd both have 2 losses and I think Florida won the head-to-head. Maybe a Florida-Michigan Rose Bowl?

Did anyone else find it ridiculous when Nebraska scored a Touchdown against Colorado with 30 seconds left in the game? [...] Why do some teams feel the need to totally embarrass a rival?

Anon 8:57 AM

I guess you missed a clip of video from CU's homecoming earlier this year where the Buffs head coach said, "0-5 and the worst days as a Buff is better than the best days as a Husker."

With that said, I can see why NU tried to run up the score. Big-12 coaches who lose to 1-AA teams and talk smack about their rival need to worry more about their own house first. Who is this Hawkins guy... Urban Meyer of the west?

As an ND fan, I admit we got destroyed. We had our chances and blew it. I have to disagree with a few opinions made though. Brady Quinn is the best pure QB in college football. His receivers screwed him severly. Go back and watch tape, he put 8+ passes on the numbers for either first downs or TD's. You can't blame a QB for butter fingered receivers. As for a BCS bid, I am biased obviously, but who else should get one if a 10-2 Irish don't get one? As for Davie and his tongue, I loath that man. For Wies and his paycheck and how many years, give it time....he will produce. This is year two with a team that Willingham forgot to get lineman for. He was so focused on receivers and a QB he forgot the key element of keeping the QB upright. Also, as a fan of a team with Lloyd Carr as a coach, I seriously doubt you should be bashing our coach. You have been owned by the Buckeyes since Cooper left town. One year out of 10, seriously think about it.

Thanks for stopping by. Your post was almost civil until you took a shot at Lloyd unnecessarily. Lloyd's record is what it is, but I'd much rather be in our position with our coach than in yours. Face it - ND hasn't been a truly relevant football program since the early '90s. Despite Weis' (nice sweatsuit last night, btw) somewhat impressive record over the last two years, he hasn't beat a single team that finished the season ranked and has yet to get a signature win (unless you're counting his win last year over the worst Michigan team in the last 20 years - well done). Every time you guys play a legitimate team you're exposed. You guys absolutely don't deserve a BCS bid, although I'm hoping you're selected for the Sugar and either Florida or Arkansas mops the floor with you.

Watching the ND fans puff their chests as the team pounded on the service academies and vent their righteous indignation while the rest of us pointed out the crapiness of your schedule was just hysterical. Especially in light of last night de-pantsing, which every non-delusional college football fan could see coming from a mile away.

Careful what you wish for. Les Miles is the reason LSU is hoping to play in the Rose Bowl right now instead of making hotel reservations in the Glendale area. I think we'll see what kind of coach he is after Saban's players leave Red Stick.

Losing to A&M is awful any year for a Texas fan, but to lose that way was sheer agony. Horrible coaching, poor red zone execution all day, and a lack of backbone and tenacity on the final drive spoiled what had been a very good season for Texas.

And then to top it all off, two knuckle-dragging Aggies cheap shot our quarterback - indicative of their classless coward of a head coach.

And even though you didn't mention it, we can now remove Florida from even backdoor consideration for the MNC after their tepid performance against a truly mediocre FSU team.

And then to top it all off, two knuckle-dragging Aggies cheap shot our quarterback

I'll agree with the 1st shot (after the Dodge interception) was a cheap shot and the player should (and was) ejected... but the 2nd (the knockout blow) to Colt McCoy was a legal hard hit. No flag because there really was no helmet to helmet contact.

BTW, sports talk radio here in Austin has been a joy with all the gnashing of teeth and crying over the longhorns. No one could have ever imagined a 3 loss non-BCS season when the season started.

While all the talk has centered on LSU, I personally want to see Michigan versus the winner of the Big 12 Championship. If OU wins, it would be a rematch of the 1976 Orange Bowl. If OU beats Nebraska, they are two botched calls away from being a one-loss team. And I probably do not need to mention why I want to see Michigan play Nebraska again (REMEMBER THE ALAMO (BOWL)!!). A great way to lay Last Year to rest.

This week, I am putting on my delusional-ND-fan cap and I am pulling for the Bruins. Couldn't bring myself to pull for the Domers, but I can get behind UCLA.

To wit: "Dozens" arrested? Let's have a rundown of the (at least) 24 players you're talking about, please. Remember you only get one for Clarett, he wasn't a Buckeye anymore after January of '03. And speaking of Clarett, let's take a look at the FACTS of the case...he files a false police report and Tressel suspends him (OSU's best player at the time, remember) FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. Everything - repeat, EVERYTHING - that happened after that is 100% on Clarett, not on OSU. Every allegation he made against OSU involving classes and boosters has been discredited. Again, these are the FACTS - but you go ahead with your conjecture.

You also need to back up your wild-ass assertion that "Columbus was awash in rumors wanting a rematch" (what does that sentence even mean?) in '03 - can you find, or come up with a credible, fact-based memory even, of that sentiment being expressed in print?

As far as the rest of your comment is concerned, you should read my comment at 2:25a - it's a better-written version of yours.

Wishful thinking re playing the Big 12 champ. But does the Rose Bowl get the first two picks due to the fact that USC and tOSU are out? If it did, it could choose OU/Nebraska, or even Florida. Michigan-Florida would be a blockbuster. If I were the Rose Bowl committee, I would remember how the Orange Bowl picked USC and Iowa in 2003, and would have absolutely no compunction stealing Florida from the Sugar Bowl, or OU/Nebraska from the Fiesta.

The way I read the selection rules, because the Rose Bowl loses its traditional picks, it can pick from a pool of all eligible teams before the other bowls select.

#

# If a bowl loses a host team to the NCG, then such bowl shall select a replacement team from among the automatic-qualifying teams and the at-large teams before any other selections are made. If two bowls lose host teams to the NCG, each bowl will get a replacement pick before any other selections are made. In such case, the bowl losing the No. 1 team gets the first replacement pick, and the bowl losing the No. 2 team gets the second replacement pick. If the Rose Bowl loses both the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions to the NCG, it will receive two replacement picks.

A bowl choosing a replacement team may not select any of the following:

1. A team in the NCG; 2. The host team for another BCS Bowl; 3. When two bowls lose host teams, then the bowl losing the number one team may not select a replacement team from the same conference as the number two team, unless the bowl losing the number two team consents.

This entire process of “Gee, I hope Arkansas loses to LSU, ND beats USC, and Arkansas beats Florida so my 11-1 Michigan team (that lost by 3 pts to the #1 team in the nation and is now dropped to #3 behind a team that lost to Oregon St.) can actually have a chance at the NC” is pathetic. Talk of playoffs redering the regular season meaningless is nonsense.

The NFL gets huge numbers every week, even though it has that crazy playoff system at the end of the year that allegedly renders the regular season a waste of time. In reality, no one contends that the regular season was meaningless just because the Steelers played the Bengals twice in the regular reason and then again in the playoffs. The Steelers also lost to Indianapolis in Week 12 of 2005 – however, the NFL decided to let them play again, and the Steelers won the 2nd meeting. Where is the injustice in having a team play twice in one season? I don’t get it.

If the BCS system is so great, why doesn’t the NFL adopt it? Let’s cut a few weeks off the NFL season (after all, it is so much safer for the players) and just let the 2 teams with the best record play in the SB. Let’s just advance the Bears and the Colts right now, why bother with all of the other teams? Never mind that the team with the best regular season record hasn’t won the SB in the last 5 or 6 seasons – just put the Bears & Colts in because they are perceived to be the best this season. Sorry San Diego, New England, Dallas, etc., your seasons are over, the Bears & Colts have a better record. Let’s not complicate it by making them advance through a playoff system.

Come on, if the BCS is so great, let’s petition the NFL to implement their own version so we can quit wasting our time with that stupid playoff system that nobody likes.

A bowl choosing a replacement team may not select any of the following:

A. A team in the NCG; B. The host team for another BCS Bowl; C. When two bowls lose host teams, then the bowl losing the number one team may not select a replacement team from the same Conference as the number two team, unless the bowl losing the number two team consents.

So, no matter what, the B12 Champ is the "host" school for the Fiesta Bowl. The OU/Neb winner goes to the that. The loser will more than likely not be chosen for the BCS. I guess the Rose could pass on Michigan and the Fiesta could choose them, givng you your Michigan/Oklahoma game... but it won't be in the Rose Bowl.

Some people are up in arms about a Mich-OSU rematch, but they are perfectly okay with a Mich-ND rematch in the Rose Bowl??? We're the #2 team in the country (no matter what any poll says) and ND, well, is terrible. They played pathetically. And don't tell me USC deserves to jump over Mich. USC beat ND at home, and ND was making way more mistakes than they did against us, who beat ND at South Bend. ND might deserve to play Boise St.

Call me a sore loser, but I think that we could have--and should have--beaten OSU. This defense does not give up 500 yards in a game, and especially does not give up 50+ yard TDs. I may have to pull the turf card. There were just so many mistakes...overthrows, roughing the passer. If Mich put in its all then it would have beaten the Buckeyes at Ohio stadium. Look at the score, and don't give me that "OSU was in control the whole game" shit. Some mistakes should not have happened. I might be in denial, but Michigan could beat OSU in another match.

We should we over that. Everyone pray that UCLA upsets USC. That would be unbelievable.

Props to U$C for proving yet again what we all knew... if ND was in the Big T1e1n, they would be #4 or #5.

In all the accolades for Coach Carrol (deserved), why is it that the Reggie Bush story has disappeared? As Pete and the boys continue to reload, it makes you wonder what might influence that many top athletes to sign there when there are others ahead of them.

because the Big 10 loses its conference champ to the NCG, it appears that Michigan may be selected by another BCS bowl game since it is not the champion of its conference. I might not be understanding the #2 team replacement clause, but I'm pretty sure that Michigan can end up in a different bowl game.

Right On! ND would be 4th in the Big Ten, right behind the cheese eaters from Wisconsin. ND should be picked to play in the Humanitarian (Humiliation) Bowl held on the blue turf in Boise Idaho...not sure, if it is still called the Humanitarian Bowl, but I think everyone would agree that it is still the Humiliation Bowl.

I truly believe Michigan is the second best team in the nation, and I am one Buckeye fan that would love to beat them twice in the same season. If you are a Buckeye fan, and you do not want a rematch, I question your manhood…and your hatred for the team up north.

However, it now looks as though UCS will be our competition in the NC game, so perhaps the voters are basing their decision on the better coach, rather than the better team.

My prediction for Carr's replacement (before the 2010 season, and before he can go 2-10-1, as Cooper did) is Jim Harbaugh...grew up as a son of a college football coach, was a collegiate QB, has strong ties to the UM football program, and is having great success as a division 1-AA head football coach...sound familiar?

Side note: Carr will not be fired, he will resign, and Michigan fans will some how feel better about themselves because they did not fire a coach for consistently loosing to the Buckeye’s.

Note to self: Do not hire anyone from UM Business school, as they do not understand the concept of accountability.

Trojan Mike: You noted that Charlie Weis's outfit last night made him look like he was, "just back from the gym." Instead of "the gym" I assume you meant "Denny's"?

Re. all who mentioned Wisconsin: The Badgers have to be the worst one-loss major conference team in history. In a very down season for the Big 10, they didn't play tOSU, lost to Michigan, and managed to defeat the other mediocre-at-best teams on its schedule. Their out of conference foes: Buffalo, San Diego St., Western Illinois, and Bowling Green. Even if three teams from a conference were allowed, Wisconsin would have no business in this year's BCS.

Re. SC vs. tOSU: I would vote for an 11-1 Trojans team over Michigan. True we lost to a much better OSU than they did, but SC would have more quality wins, and deserve credit for playing a much tougher out of conference schedule. That noted, UCLA has a chance, if SC is content with its pounding of ND and looking ahead to the Buckeyes.

At minimum, the Bowl whose "host" conference champion goes to the BCS title game selects first. There is even a mechanism for choosing who picks first if there are two such bowls. Here, the Rose Bowl is the only bowl so affected. So it picks the match-up before the other bowls pick a challenger for their "host."

I want to see how the agreement is memorialized. It is pretty clear that the intention was to exclude the conference champs of the SEC et al. from poaching by the Bowl whose "host" team played in the BCS, but the language of the rules is pretty expansive (e.g., "such bowl shall select a replacement team from among the automatic-qualifying teams and the at-large teams before any other selections are made"). I want to see the BCS contract that was signed before I decide there is no ambiguity. Then the Rose Bowl committe should retain David Boies or Johnnie Cochran's ghost.

Re ND and Weis: In their last 13 games the Irish have lost to the current top three teams in the BCS by an average of 20 points... Michigan by 26, USC by 20 and Ohio State (last year's Fiesta Bowl) by 14 and really did not threaten to win any of those games. Clearly they are not close to being an elite team. They needed a gift from MSU this year to win the game, a last second comeback to beat UCLA at home this year and lost to MSU at home last year. None of the teams that they beat last year that were ranked at the time finished in the top 25 and this year only one team they have defeated is ranked (Georgia Tech #22/23). Weis's claim to fame as a coach is losing to USC by 3 at home last year. He is clearly the most overrated coach in sports today.

Thanks Yost and Beeny.....just a great read! I love the comments as well. From a Trojan fan, thanks for the even reporting. I think USC will beat the 'ruins again and go to AZ in January.....in which case, I've got 8 Rose Bowl tickets I'm gonna have to unload. Think I can trade them somewhere for 2 BCSNC game tickets??

For an offensive genius, Weis coaches a hell of a lot like I play NCAA 2007. Surely there is a more effective strategy than going for it every 4th down and chucking the deep ball and hoping for the best.

BCS Bowl bids are really quite simple guys. The language might be confusing, but it's the same way they've been doing it for years. In short... there are five BCS bowl games (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, and National Title). 1 plays 2 in the National title game. Pac 10 champ vs. Big Ten Champ in Rose.ACC champ vs. AT Large in Orange.B12 vs At Large in Fiesta.SEC vs. At Large in Sugar.

Whichever bowl loses the #1 team to the National title games gets first pick of all AT-LARGE teams to replace #1 team. Then the bowl that loses the #2 team to the national title game gets second pick of all AT-LARGE teams to replace #2 team. There will be 4 At-LARGE teams picked this year... Michigan is a lock given its standing in the top 4 of the BCS. Boise State will be a lock given its standing in the top 12. Notre Dame is a near-lock, as they are eligible to be picked and won't be passed over. That leaves one spot left, most likely going to LSU or the Ark/Flo loser. What does that give us?

The Rose Bowl talk during the USC game was idiotic, but y'all need stop hyperventilating about ND. Cooler heads will prevail and pick LSU.

1) Weis isn't an offensive genius. OK, but he's damned good. Admittedly, his playcalling this year vs. USC was so-so, but last year it was masterful. Which is the real Weis? I don't think we'll know for sure until he gets the talent to compete

2) Brady Quinn is overrated. Gotta disagree with this one. He was the only Irish player who showed up on offense.

3) ND's schedule is weak. Toss-up, but I tend to disagree. They play their share of toughies and gimmes ... but why is Ball State, Western Michigan, and the bottom half of the Big Ten different? At least Navy is bowl-bound

How is it that somebody like Auburn gets totally trashed in the media for its non-conference schedule in 2004 (yet they got no credit at all for beating 4 teams ranked in the top ten when they played them - LSU, Tenn twice (both times on the road), and Georgia), yet this year Notre Dame plays a TOTAL of THREE ranked teams (beating one (GaTech) in a close game, but getting totally drilled by the other two (Mich and SC))? Yet, Notre Dame still gets handed a BCS bowl bid. Talk about a team that based on their record doesn't deserve a BCS bid - they have played virtually no quality competition, yet nobody in the national media is even talking about this crock. Rather, they are going on and on about how they deserve a bid to the BCS bowls just because they are Notre Dame and won some close games and played well in their LOSSES - talk about a double standard! If the media is going to use that reasoning to get the matchups they want for TV and are going to trash a teams non-conference record to make it happen while ignoring the other side of the arguement (they should also be giving credit when that team has played and beaten ranked teams), then why are we not hearing anything about this year's weak ND schedule and poor record against quality competition? By all rights, if it were anyone else, they would be totally trashing a team ranked so high that has played such a weak overall schedule, been hammered by the two really good teams it played, until Saturday had not played a ranked team since September, and has beaten virtually nobody of note. Ju$t curiou$, but could the pro$pect of TV revenue have $omething to do with it??

And yes, I agree UM/LSU would be a good matchup. Also, I too am tired of the constant hype for upcoming games/matchups that have not yet even been scheduled (except in the networks minds).

Michigan is the second best team in the country. It is irrelevant that they did not win the Big-10 or have already played the #1 team.

The NC game should be about letting the best 2 teams play - USC is not better than Michigan. USC lost to an Oregon St team that was earlier destroyed by Boise St.

The entire "losing early is better than losing late" system is sickening. If USC lost to Oregon St in its 12th game, they would would not be #2. If Michigan lost to Tosu in week 3 & it was their only loss, they would be a solid #2 right now. Why is a team's inclusion in the NC game dictated by the timing of their key wins or losses? This system is pathetic...

I think anon 2:56 P.M. i$ on to $omething... The inclusion of the extra BCS game was a simple cash-grab by the NCAA and the conferences. It did nothing to resolve the championship picture, nor was it intended to do so. Really it was a concession to the non-BCS conferences. The NCAA made a piece of the cash-cow available to them. It's a compromise because they get a smaller share with five bowls instead of four, but they have an established mechanism to achieve a spot.

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